Facilities Office

Furniture Policies

Last updated: February 7, 2019

Duke University and Health Systems has established a system wide office furniture standard and have contracted with vendors to provide these standards. TCA&S Facilities Office will utilize these vendors to gain the best price for good quality furniture for Trinity College.

Annually furniture request to support faculty and staff should be submitted through the budget process. First consideration for furniture are those request approved through the budget process. Furniture request that arrive outside of the budget process should be requested by contacting the TCA&S Facilities Building Manager/Project Manger assigned to your department.

TCA&S Administration sets aside an annual budget to assist with the purchase of furniture and minor office upgrades for new incoming faculty. During the budget process departments that have a signed contract should list the new faculty name and assigned office, as well as relocation of existing faculty or staff to accommodate the new hire, on their budget sheets. For faculty that have additional lab or other space as part of their contract this should also be listed. For new hires that are not contracted during the budget process, a place holder will be entered into the budget by TCA&S Facilities.

TCA&S Facilities office will review each new incoming faculty office to determine the items to purchase and upgrades the office needs.

Purchasing Furniture

TCA&S has furniture standards for its offices and within these standards are price points for desk units, bookcases, files, and seating, and all other office furniture requirements.

Requests for Furniture and Furnishings

Departmental/Program Requests may be made at the start of every new budget cycle, when business managers can request furniture for faculty, staff, student office, and common areas. TCA&S Facilities Office, the Divisional Deans and Senior Associate Dean for Administration will evaluate each request to determines whether items are available from inventory or should be purchased. If items must be purchased, the project manager will select an approved sales vendor to work with the department to develop a design/layout, recommend a style/model of furniture/furnishing, and provide a price quote. Quotes must be signed by the department before being submitted for review. The TCA&S project manager will then process a purchasing request and the vendor will obtain the items. Deliveries will be coordinated by the project manager, the vendor, and the department. Upon delivery and installation, the project manager will process the vendor’s invoice and ensure payment.

New hires will receive a standard new hire office package that may include a with a desk unit, two bookcases, one 5-drawer lateral file cabinet, an executive task chair, and guest chair. This office furniture will not exceed the allocated budget determined annually by the Dean’s Office. Furniture should only be purchased when the office has no existing furniture, or the existing furniture is more than seven years old. Preference will be given to the purchase of items to complete an existing set.

Project furniture is to be purchased in compliance with Duke University policies, and may require comparison of as many as three vendors for design layout, style or model, and pricing. No A&S project furniture will be purchased by the architect, contractor, or engineer – only through the Duke Procurement Office. The TCA&S Facilities project manager must secure the approval of the end user prior to providing a furniture layout to the contractor or Duke FMD coordinator. Electrical and data outlet placement are based on furniture design and layout. The project manager must keep the end user and FMD coordinator (if applicable) updated, and is responsible for the delivery and installation of furniture as well as any necessary follow-up services.

Departmental furniture request is for the use of existing faculty and staff, e.g.: more bookcases, bigger filing cabinets, etc.

Ergonomics

Inventory

TCA&S maintain an inventory of numerous furniture items. This is updated monthly and includes new furniture, special purchases, and used furniture. Contact tcasfacilities@duke.edu or the TCA&S Facilities Building Manager assigned to your department to review available items.

Home Office Furniture

Approval to purchase supplies, furniture, furnishings or seating for a home office must be requested in writing to the TCA&S Senior Associate Dean for Finance, Sandy Connolly (sandy.connolly@duke.edu). The funding source does not matter; approval must be gained prior to ordering or providing any items for a home office. TCA&S does not support the cost of internet services for home offices. Please review the link below to understand Duke University’s policy related to home offices.

According to the Faculty Discretionary Account Policy under section IV it states, "Discretionary accounts should not be used for items of personal gain: Duke parking (for the individual or his/her staff), home equipment (except for computers, printers/fax machines purchased for Duke academic activities) or furniture, etc."

** Any furniture questions should be directed to tcasfacilities@duke.edu or the TCA&S Facilities Building Manager assigned to your department.